Navigating Around Puerto Rico

If you are planning a vacation to Puerto Rico; getting here is the easy part. You can easily obtain flights to San Juan and also to Ponce and Aguadilla. But once you are here, if you plan on taking a rental car a little research is recommended.

If you want to drive east, west or south from San Juan it is fairly easy; Route 3 takes you east towards Fajardo, Route 52 takes you south towards Guayama then Ponce, and Route 22 / 2 takes you west to Aguadilla and Rincon. But once you turn off the major highways, things get a little trickier. The road signs around the island have improved over the past few years (so I have been told), but I still would not leave for a trip without having a map in the car. You can pick up a map at most gas stations and pharmacies here in Puerto Rico, but if you are like me, you will want to have a map before you arrive. Two maps that appear to be pretty decent are:
Rand McNally Puerto Rico Easyfinder
Puerto Rico Road Map 2007 / Mapa de Carreteras de Puerto Rico 2007

If you intend to do some driving around Puerto Rico, I would strongly recommend that you have a map with you.

As for travel books, I tend to steer towards the ‘Frommer’ and ‘Rough Guide’ series when I am looking for information on a particular destination. So, do you need a travel book if you are coming here? If you want to have something handy when you are traveling around then maybe a book would be useful; especially if you do not have easy access to the internet when you are here. From a quick search on Amazon, there is no ‘Rough Guide’ to Puerto Rico. There is however a ‘Frommer’s’ guide, an ‘Insight’ guide and an ‘Off The Beaten Track’ guide. All are available at Amazon and should also be available at your local book store.

Frommer’s Puerto Rico costs around $12

Insight Guide Puerto Rico costs around $16

Puerto Rico Off the Beaten Path costs around $12

Finally, once you are here, don’t forget some of the best advice will be from the locals, so do not be afraid to ask…especially when it comes to restaurants.